TNA ADM 199 xxx

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,o fall. Almost immediately a large quantity of water and oil fuel
:ommenced to fall on the Bridge until it was 1s feet deep. No further bombs were dropped for a minute or so and everyone on the Bridge commenced to think about the amount of damage done, when more bombs ere heard, one of which hit X gun shield.
nul.
This was the first serious raid and as I saw several men in the vater close to the ship I ordered them to swim back. I sent for the
Engineer Officer and asked him if we could move the engines, as by
,his time GRENADE'S stern had commenced to swing out away from the ier right across the harbour. He informed me that the engines were ut of action and that there was a serious fire in No. I Boiler Room.
sent the First Lieutenant to find out our condition forrard and he nformed me that the after end of the Upper Mess Deck and the Canteen
'lat were ablaze. The destroyer mentioned in para. 3 proceeded out f harbour and I shouted to her captain as she passed us to report the lamage to GRENADE by signal.
I then decided to give the order to Abandon Ship. In the meantime GRENADE had swung still further round and many officers and nen were able to step on board the trawler, POLLY JOHNSON. When I
ad seen that everyone was away from the ship I left the bridge and vent down to the Iron Deck Port Side, intending to see for myself the damage forrard and to try andfire the depth charge by the Asdic Dome in the fore store, but owing to the fire in the Canteen Flat I could not make my way forrard. I now consider that it was just as well that
Bhis charge was not exploded at this time as it would have undoubtedly caused GRENADE to sink in the fairway. I then walked aft and tried to get into the after lobby to see about my Confidential Books.
While I was doing this more bombs were dropped in the vicinity and as I found that I could not get the clips off the doors, which had been hammered up to bottle up the fire in the after lobby, I decided that I could do no more good on board. I walked forrard on the Port
Side and stepped into the water from the deck which was no practically level with the water, and was hauled on board the only remaining trawler. It had originally been my intention to order this trawler

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hatches to be closed. It was then reported to him that the ship
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was on fire in the vicinity of the Ward Room and he ordered the magazine to be flooded. This was eventually done in his presence by
Leading Stoker Stables. He then heard the order to abandon ship.
He superintended getting out Carley floats and then went forrard to try and blow up the Asdic Dome. He could not get past the fire in
G.
the Canteen Flat. By this time FRENADE had drifted alongside the
POLLY JOHNSON and he transferred to her.
8. Before the order to abandon ship was given the signal books from the Bridge were transferred in a bag to the trawler FIDHEA,
Lieutenant Ward, R.N.V.R. The books from the wireless office were not removed but were doubtless burnt in the fire which raged all round the Bridge structure. Lieutenant Horne placed two rockets in the chart house and fired two Verry's lights into it to destroy the charts. He also tried to get down by way of the ladder outside the
Sick Bay to blow up the Dome, but was prevented by the fire. The current Challenges and Replies were in a safe in the wheel house;
this safe could not be opened owing to damage but the fire was so intense that it is considered that they were destroyed. As stated before, arrangements were made with Commander Clouston to destroy the Dome and Confidential Books should it be necessary. All other signal books had been landed previously in accordance with your instructions. The loss of signal books and failure to destroy the
Dome was reported by Lieutenant Horne on arrival at Dover.
9. I consider that the behaviour of all officers and men under my command in GRENADE was admirable; the Engine Room Department stood to their posts until the last minute and those men who were in the water immediately returned to the ship when ordered to. I observed that it was GRENADE'S men who manned some of the foremost pom-poms of the CRESTED EAGLE after she had been hit.
Especially I should like to mention Mr Clare and Leading Stoker
Stables. T consider that the former acted with great coolness and caurage taking complete control of the after end of the ship, giving the order to close and flood the magazine at the correct moment, thus